Moving Marriage Equality Video with President Obama

This morning I was lucky enough to spend sometime on twitter and happened to catch something that set a great tone for the day. Legalizelove.com has released a very moving video supporting marriage equality. Great shots of various couples in wedding gear but the kicker is the use of President Obama's voice throughout the video. It is really something else to have a President that will speak not just to the LGBT community but will really speak for us as well.

Watch the video here:



LegalizeLove.com: Obama & Gay Couples "Speak with One Voice" On Gay Marriage from LegalizeLove.com on Vimeo.

Perspective

Perspective, it's an interesting thing. Two days ago the citizens of North Carolina voted to ban gay marriages. The next day President Barack Obama becomes the first sitting President to say that he supports marriage equality. Some say the President came forward a day too late. We won't know if it would have made a difference or not. However, for some the perspective is a state lost. For others the perspective is a country won. What all agree on is that the President did a historic thing in coming out in favor of marriage equality. From some people's perspective his actions might even be considered heroic

Go to today. I helped put together an event for the Human Rights Campaign to benefit the Maryland Marriage Fund to help keep marriage equality in that state. Governor Martin O'Malley was the special guest at the event. Governor O'Malley was able to show incredible leadership in helping to bring marriage equality to his state. Now that its there, he is continuing to lead the fight against a ballot measure to remove it. His conviction to make sure the LGBT community in his state is shown the same dignity and freedoms as anyone else is truly inspiring. I would guess that the perspective of many in the LGBT community in Maryland is that he is a hero.

The person that introduced the Governor was former Arizona State Senator and current candidate for Congress in Arizona, Kyrsten Sinema. Sinema has been a leader in the LGBT community for years and is known for having led the only successful campaign to defeat an anti-LGBT marriage amendment in the country. Her ability to make things happen for the LGBT community in Arizona has been remarkable. I have had the pleasure to work with her on many projects over the years and for me personally, she is a hero. That is my perspective.

So why would someone from Arizona host an event like this? Why send money in a very important election year out of the state? Perspective. It is not likely that Arizona will repeal its constitutional ban on gay marriage. The only way Arizonan's are going to see marriage equality is by enough states having it that the Federal government takes action and the Defense of Marriage Act is repealed. So from our perspective here this is how we bring marriage equality to our state - one state at a time across the country.

So my perspective of heroes this week have been of President Obama, Governor O'Malley and Congressional Candidate Kyrsten Sinema. So it surprised me when I received this post on my Facebook

Perspective. One never knows who is watching and the impact your words and actions have on them. This is not the first time someone has shared this type of sentiment with me. However, each time it catches me off guard. I mean come on, who am I? I am not the President or a Governor. How can I possibly be a hero? Perspective. You see most of the time when I hear this it comes from our youth. While I know that the time I give is not only for myself but to make a difference in the lives of many others, I forget that people actually get that too. I gotta say - it makes all the defeats and struggles worth it. To know that I am giving our youth inspiration and hope is a very humbling experience. It also fuels me to keep going.

The funny thing is from my perspective the youth today are heroes. They are so brave to come out or to be an ally for their friends that do. I can't wait for today's youth to be in the lead and take this fight for equality to a whole other level.

A lot has happened in the last two days. I think I have a new perspective on a few things.

Two Special Voices in New York

On June 24th, New York became the 6th state to pass marriage equality. I'm not going to "report" on the details. If you like you can just Google and read about that. What I do want to bring attention too is one state Senator in particular that voted in favor of marriage equality, Senator Mark Grisanti. 

He was sworn in back in January of this year. It didn't take long for the pressure to ramp up on marriage equality. Here is a brief time line leading up to Friday's vote.

• After Lady Gaga asked concert goers to reach out to Grisanti and ask him to vote yes he responded in a radio interview on March 8, 2011, saying: "Civil unions and all the proponents that go along with that, I have no problem with. I have a problem with the term marriage itself. To me, marriage is between a man and a woman. It's been a term, a term of ours for years that has been around for thousands of years. It's like calling a cat, a dog. I don't think that that needs to be changed."

• On May 17, 2011, it was reported that Grisanti had publicly stated that he would vote "no" on same-sex marriage.

• On June 17, 2011, it was reported that he had changed his position on same-sex marriage to "undecided".

• On June 24, 2011, Grisanti voted in favor of the Marriage Equality Act

What I appreciated most was was his speech on the Senate floor on how he came to this decision. Please take some time and watch his speech below.

The second person I would like to discuss is my Aunt, who is 70+ years old. She has lived in upstate New York on a farm or in a small town her whole life. She always keeps up on state politics and other current events. She had sent me a quick note when the State Assembly passed the marriage equality bill through and that she was sure the Senate would do the same. I was glad at least she was confident. I knew we still had a fight on our hands at the time.

Apparently my Aunt knew what she was talking about because eight days later she was emailing me again. This time it was almost 11pm NY time and marriage equality had just passed the Senate. The subject: We made it in NYS. We'll come back to that.

 Here is the rest of the email

Hi ladies  - as you may have already heard  -   NYS is passing the "equality in marriage'  act this evening  -  job well done!

   Just wish the news folks would refrain from the term "same sex marriage act" -   that doesn't cover nearly any of the principles of this bill and really gives it a negative connotation rather than educating the public on the real need and assets of the bill.

                                                                                    Love A.

Simple right. But let's remember this is from a small town 70+ year old woman...not exactly the best demographic on this issue. What struck me first was that she just gets it. The end. The fact that she really gets it prompted me to post it on my Facebook and Tweet about it. If this 75 year old woman can get it then I know we can make this happen. If we come out, live open, educate people on how this discrimination effects us, we can change hearts and minds. We can do this.

While I got responses I had expected, a bunch of likes, a few re-tweets, etc - I also got a response I didn't expect. It was actually the first response from twitter. Here is the conversation

Let's just say that this conversation made me write a much stronger reply to my Aunt. Something that was probably going to be WOO HOO! turned into this

A.,

Thank you so much for your note. I hope you don't mind but I put it on Facebook. The understanding that you have and the support that you give is something many others in the gay community miss because their family has disowned them. I do not take it for granted and it has meant so much to me as has the support of my parents and many others in the family. The fact that this family never wavered in its support is a true statement to what family means and I believe a true statement about how you all were raised by Gram and Grandpa...to always be there for each other.

So again thanks.

Kathy

So, for me, there were two heroes on that night. One, a Senator that showed true courage by realizing that he might not know everything and seeking to understand all aspects of the issue. The other, a woman who reminded me day to day conversations matter and that I am so lucky to have a family that goes beyond the concept of just being related to each other. I am part of a family that you can count on to be there for you and give you support when needed.

By the way A., I owe you a hug.

My Letter from Senator McCain

I love politics. I enjoy contacting my elected officials by email, phone, letters, etc. I want to participate in the governing process. I believe it is one of our most import responsibilities as citizens to do. We must do more than just vote. We must make sure that our elected officials know how we, as their constituents feel on the issues that matter most to us.

The tough part is I live in Arizona. I am happy to say that I live in a district where I actually feel the representation I have in the State Legislature is good. I am also very pleased with my Congressman, Ed Pastor.

Then you come to Senator Jon Kyl and Senator John McCain. I would say their representation lately couldn't be farther from my views. Although I know when I call their offices or write to them it is a long shot that they will be on my side, I do it anyway. You see, for me, these are the people it is most important I reach out to. I must continue to let them know I am here and they represent me.

I recently emailed Sen. McCain and asked him to support the Repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). I know of two other constituents that support this - Cindy McCain and Meghan McCain. Since these two constituents are family and can't seem to sway him on this I know it's a long shot. Plus this is not the first time I have engaged the Senator on this issue. I have met with his D.C. staff in the past to discuss this issue on several occasions. I have also called his office and sent other emails on numerous occasions over the years.


Today I got a response from Sen. McCain.

From: senator@mccain.senate.gov
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 1:07 PM
To: Kathy Young
Subject: Correspondence from Senator McCain

June 15, 2011

        Dear Ms. Young:


        Thank you for contacting me to express your views on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). I appreciate hearing from you.

        Recently, I was saddened to learn that the Obama administration instructed the Department of Justice not to defend any legal challenges to DOMA. I believe, like most Americans, that the institution of marriage should be protected and defined as a union between a man and a woman. It is this definition and only this definition that acknowledges and supports the vital and unique roles played by mothers and fathers in the important job of raising children.

        For this reason, I do not support the dismantling of an institution that is the very foundation of our society, and replacing it with newer and more flexible understandings that are of questionable public value. I will continue to promote unions that have traditionally provided the basis for stable families and committed relationships.

        Again, thank you sharing your thoughts on this issue. You can be assured that I will keep your concerns in mind should any legislation pertaining to DOMA be considered by the full Senate. Please feel free to contact me in the future regarding this or any other issue of concern.

                                          Sincerely,

                                          John McCain

                                          United States Senator

 
There was no surprises in this response. Still hard to read. Still hurtful. In no way surprising.
 
In the future Senator McCain will get another email from me asking him to support the repeal of DOMA. It won't surprise him. It may annoy him that I didn't seem to hear his answer. 
 

Because the thing is it's his job to listen to me. It's my job to keep speaking to him. I will use different words and I will try different stories to convince him that recognizing my relationship has great public value instead of  something that to him is "of questionable public value." The point is, when my kids are old enough to understand the fight for equality and they ask me what I did to help protect my family, giving up will not be part of the story.

The Old Man and the Queers

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You never know when you are going to learn a lesson or where it will come from. You can only make sure you are able to recognize it when it happens.

On Saturday, February 12th, many of the Arizona State House of Representative Democrats held office hours for their constituents. This was done in part to honor Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords one month after her shooting. The lawmakers were wanting to show that Gabby's commitment to meeting with her constituents was equally important to them and something that wouldn't be stopped by the actions taken by a gunman on that day. I live in Arizona's 14th legislative district represented by Debbie McCune Davis and Chad Cambell who were holding their office hours at a local coffee shop in the district.

There were only seven of us that showed up for the chat. We settled in around one large table to be able to discuss what issues were important to us with our Representatives. An older couple was seated next to me and went first. Only the gentleman spoke. He started off about keeping the tax credits for school donations. That was cool with me and I was impressed at how he was discussing some of the education issues. Then he switched topics.

"I want to discuss the marriage amendment. The family is the most important thing in society and must be protected," he began.

I'm thinking, "Well this is interesting. We have already been here, done this, and voted marriage between one man and one woman into our constitution. What more is there to discuss?" Then I think, "Oh maybe he is upset about the amendment and wants to protect all of our families." Yeah....no.

"Marriage has been around for thousands of years and the only way this has been is between one man and one woman and we must protect that," he declared. Now the purpose of this meeting was not a group discussion. He was there to talk with his representative. Rep. Campbell had run back to his house so he was not present at the time which left Rep. McCune Davis to handle the question. I just looked at her and gave her a little smile and waited.

"I understand what you are saying but I think we would disagree on how families need to be protected. This is something that was already voted on and is done and your view won in that vote." McCune Davis said. I thought Rep. McCune Davis was handling it well since there really was no point in having a conversation on something that would not be voted on here again. It was clear she didn't agree with him but why make a big argument at this point.

Then he said, "Well we need to make sure it stays that way. If they want to have a civil union I don't care about that. They can have some rights but I do not what queers to marry."

"Ok, wow, did he just say queers," I thought to myself and looked down at the table biting my lip.

"Well we can have some agreement that they do deserve to have equal rights," said McCune Davis happy that there was a point she could turn into agreement.

Unfortunately, he continued, "Sometimes judges decide to make laws and this is a decision that the people need to make."


At this Rep. McCune Davis did have to strongly disagree by saying, "Judges don't make laws the legislature does. The courts do check to make sure laws are constitutional. I do believe there will be court challenges on this issue. We are already seeing challenges to the marriage law in California. However, the judges will not be making laws when they decide a case."

"Oh but they are," the man continued. "Who are they to decide? This decision must be made by the majority. It is the majority of the people that say marriage is between one man and one woman and that is the only way it should be decided...by the people's vote."

Again Rep. McCune Davis could not let that pass and had to strongly disagree. "Sir, we as lawmakers have a responsibility to make sure that we protect all Arizonans. That means we do things to protect the minority at times. In this situation it was brought to a vote by the public and your position won. However, we do have a responsibility to protect the minority."

He was not satisfied with this answer but Rep. McCune Davis was able to end the conversation successfully because there were other constituents that needed a turn. During this conversation Rep. Campbell had rejoined the group. He had assessed the situation and made a smart move choosing not to ask, "So what did I miss?"

Then Rep. McCune Davis looked at me and said, "So what brought you here today?"

"Well I hadn't come here to discuss something that had been decided on two years ago but I must strongly disagree with what he just said. While I don't think we need to take up our time here today discussing an issue that will not come before the legislature I will say that I have a partner and we have two kids. I would like to have the same rights and protections everyone else at this table has when it comes to their family. I can't adopt my children because this state doesn't have second parent adoptions and so I have no legal rights to my children. Marriage would solve that and protect my family."

"It appears that most of you around the table are married. As far as Civil Unions go the only way that is equal is if you each have to tear up your marriage licenses and we all get a Civil Union license. All the tax codes and any other legal documents that reference marriage would need to change to Civil Union. The problem isn't that I want to call it marriage, the problem is that our government does. Therefore, all the rights and protections that you say you are ok with me having are tied up in that word with our government. To just make up something for me is not equal. Either I get marriage or you all get Civil Unions. Either way is ok with me."

I then went on to discuss the anti-bullying bill and the adoption bill that I had come to address. Rep Campbell did address these bills and they both stated they supported my position on them.

As I was finishing up the man interrupted, "When you say you have a partner - is it a man or a woman?"

"It's a woman," I said.

Not looking at me the man asked, "And you have kids?"

"Yes," I responded.

Still not bothering to look at me he asks, "Then what do you say when they are going to ask who their father is?"

"They don't have one, they have two mommies," I answered simply.

At this point the man next to me interrupted. He said this discussion could happen at another time and that we were all here to ask questions of our legislators and we should use the time for that. I agreed and we moved on.

Conversation continued and many other issues were discussed. After things wrapped up both Representative McCune Davis and Representative Campbell talked with me about the conversation. I told Rep. McCune Davis that I appreciated her answers and thought she handled it well. I spent more time with Representative Campbell, who is currently the minority leader, about the redistricting process and the importance of LGBT people showing up to that process. Then I left.

Here is the lesson I learned. It's all about showing up.

Had I not shown up the only voice that would have been heard on LGBT issues would have been his. While others that were there privately told me of their support as well they would have not spoken on LGBT issues that day. They were there for their own reasons. This is why LGBT individuals need to participate. All I did was sit down and have a cup of hot chocolate with people, my neighbors, to discuss what we think are important issues facing Arizona.

It was the most important thing I had done all week.

Human Rights Campaign Releases 2011 Flashpoints for LGBT Equality

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Today the Human Rights Campaign released it's Flashpoints for LGBT Equality. The document highlights the challenges and opportunities facing the LGBT community both on a national level and at the state level. The document can be seen in its entirety here.

One of the first points discussed in the document is how the last election shifted the Congress toward a more anti-LGBT make-up.

According to HRC this shift puts a roadblock on getting pro-LGBT legislation passed. While it is highly unlikely, HRC and it's allies do plan on introducing or reintroducing pro-LGBT legislation. This bills include:

1. Employment Non-Discrimination Act
2. Repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act
3. Safe Schools Improvement Act
4. Student Non-Discrimination Act
5. Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act
6. Tax Equity for Heath Plan Beneficiaries Act
7. Uniting American Families Act
8. Freedom from Discrimination in Credit Act
9. Every Child Deserves a Family Act

Other items to work on include HIV/AIDS funding, and legislation to protect LGBT people from housing discrimination. According to HRC the bills that deal with students have a good chance because of all the national attention around bullying. Also, the Republicans also like to hear about items that deal with tax cuts so those items may get some positive attention as well.

HRC will continue to push the Obama administration to make changes in federal policy. There have already been some big victories in this area and that should continue.

In terms of state legislation, HRC sees 6 states that could make progress in marriage and relationship recognition: Maryland, New York, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Delaware and Illinois. However there are also states where HRC sees a risk that protections for same-sex couples could be rolled back. New Hampshire and Iowa could lose marriage equality while Indiana, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina could have a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. Other issues to fight will be adoption bans.

The HRC also discusses possible victories in the courts. These cases will have impacts on marriage equality and will be worth keeping an eye on. As HRC states these cases, "could make an impact on the marriage equlaity landscape in subsequent years."

Nevada Recognizes Gay Relationships

Yesterday the Nevada legislature was able to override the Governor's veto of a domestic partnership bill. This makes Nevada the 13th state to provide some sort of relationship recognition for LGBT couples. It's not marriage equality but it is a step. The following is the press release from the Human Rights Campaign:

Human Rights Campaign Applauds Nevada Legislature’s Override Vote Recognizing Domestic Partnerships

Vote to override Governor’s veto makes Nevada the thirteenth state to offer some sort of relationship recognition for same-sex couples

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, today applauded the Nevada legislature for voting to override Governor Jim Gibbons’ veto of SB 283 and recognizing domestic partnerships for lesbian, gay and unmarried straight couples. The state Senate voted 14-7 late Saturday to override the veto and the state Assembly followed by voting 28-14 last night, making Nevada the thirteenth state to offer some form of relationship recognition for same-sex couples. The Nevada legislation goes into effect October 1, 2009.

“This bipartisan vote to override the Governor’s veto is proof positive that this is not a Democratic or Republican issue, but one of fairness and equal treatment under the law for all Nevada families,” said Joe Solmonese, Human Rights Campaign President. “This is a law that will strengthen families and give meaning to the promise of equal rights for all. Today would not be possible were it not for a united coalition effort and we congratulate Senator David Parks, Harrah’s Entertainment, MGM Mirage, the ACLU of Nevada, R&R Partners, The Nevada Resorts Association, PLAN, the Gay and Lesbian Center of Southern Nevada, and the Nevada Stonewall Democratic Caucus for their tremendous effort.”

The Human Rights Campaign and its Nevada volunteer leadership mobilized its more than 5,000 supporters in Nevada to advocate for this legislation. Through HRC’s efforts more than 1,000 phone calls and emails were generated by constituents reaching out to their legislators. HRC also partnered with the coalition to hold Nevada’s first LGBT Lobby Day in Carson City on April 21-22 where HRC Associate Director of Diversity, Allyson Robinson, was a featured speaker. In 2006 and 2008, HRC worked for fair-minded leadership in the Nevada legislature, including sending a staff person to Las Vegas in 2008. HRC also held a Camp Equality activist training in 2008 seeking to give local advocates the tools needed to play key volunteer roles in Nevada campaigns.

“This is a great achievement for fairness and equality in Nevada. It would not have been possible without the relentless efforts of the members of the coalition,” said Sen. David Parks, the bill’s primary sponsor. “The Human Rights Campaign played a significant role in activating its membership and providing strategic advice. I sincerely thank them for their unrelenting efforts.”

“It’s wonderful to see the Nevada legislature recognize that the rights of thousands of Nevada families cannot and should not be neglected due to one individual’s opinion,” said Steve Amend, HRC Las Vegas Political Co-Chair. “Today the State of Nevada has taken a giant leap forward towards equality and we look forward to continuing the dialogue with the legislature to further advance our cause with regards to discrimination issues.”

Including Nevada, thirteen states plus Washington, D.C. have laws providing at least some form of state-level relationship recognition for same-sex couples. Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont (as of September 1, 2009) and Maine (as of mid-September 2009, pending possible repeal effort) recognize marriage for same-sex couples under state law. Five states - California, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington (as of July 26, 2009, pending possible repeal effort) - plus Washington, D.C. provide same-sex couples with access to the state level benefits and responsibilities of marriage, through either civil unions or domestic partnerships. Hawaii provides same-sex couples with limited rights and benefits.

New York recognizes marriages by same-sex couples validly entered into outside of New York. California recognized marriage by same-sex couples between June and November of 2008, before voters approved Proposition 8, which amends the state constitution to prohibit marriage equality. Recently the California Supreme Court upheld the validity of Prop 8, but also allowed the nearly 18,000 same-sex marriages already performed to stand.

Legislatures in New Hampshire and New York are considering marriage legislation that would permit same-sex couples to marry in those states, and the D.C. Council has passed legislation that would recognize marriages by same-sex couples legally entered into in other jurisdictions (that legislation is going through a Congressional review period).

Same-sex couples do not receive federal rights and benefits in any state. To learn more about state by state legislation visit: www.hrc.org/state_laws.

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• Nevada legalizes domestic partnerships (cnn.com)

You Sure You Want Traditional Marriage?

I love the message in this video. I agree you can't have it both ways...if you want to pass laws to keep traditional marriage then by all means let's have traditional marriage.

Human Rights Campaign Reacts to Prop. 8 Decision

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The Human Rights Campaign released a statement and started a new campaign called "We Won't Back Down." The following statement was released after the decision from the CA Supreme Court and includes their new video.

CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT TAKES STEP BACK FROM EQUALITY
Nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights group responds to court ruling

HRC President Joe Solmonese: “We will not give up until marriage equality is restored in California.”

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, responded to the California Supreme Court’s split 6-1decision today ruling that Proposition 8, the narrowly approved measure which eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry, is valid. As a result of the court’s decision in Strauss v. Horton, California becomes the first state in the nation to strip away marriage rights for same-sex couples. As same-sex couples and allies from across the country react to the news, HRC is releasing an online, YouTube video set to the song “I Won’t Back Down”: www.HRC.org/California.



“Today’s ruling is a huge blow to Americans everywhere who care about equality. The court has allowed a bare majority of voters to write same-sex couples out of basic constitutional protections,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “This ruling is painful, but it represents a temporary setback. There will be a groundswell to restore marriage equality in our nation's largest state, and HRC will not give up until marriage equality is restored in California.”

One significant effort already underway is a strategic partnership between HRC and California Faith for Equality (CFE), a statewide group established to educate, support and mobilize faith communities on LGBT equality. The partnership joins CFE and its 6,000 supporting faith leaders with both HRC's Religion and Faith Program expertise as well as HRC's National Field Department to broaden, diversify and deepen religious support for marriage equality in California.

“This ruling couldn't be more out of step with what's happening across the country,” said Solmonese, pointing to recent marriage victories in Iowa, Vermont and Maine. “We have no choice but to return this basic question of fairness for the estimated 1 million LGBT Californians back to the voters.”

“While we are relieved that the 18,000 couples who married before the Prop 8 vote will still have valid marriages, it does not in any way remove the sting of this ruling,” added Solmonese.

Over the past decade, public acceptance of marriage equality for same-sex couples has changed dramatically. For the first time, more Americans say they support marriage for same-sex couples (49%) than oppose it (46%), according to the latest Washington Post/ABC poll released in late April.

WHERE MARRIAGE STANDS TODAY:
Twelve states plus Washington, D.C. have laws providing at least some form of state-level relationship recognition for same-sex couples. Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont (as of September 1, 2009), and Maine (as of mid-September 2009, pending possible repeal effort) recognize marriage for same-sex couples under state law. Five states—California, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington (as of July 26, 2009, pending possible repeal effort)—plus Washington, D.C. provide same-sex couples with access to the state level benefits and responsibilities of marriage, through either civil unions or domestic partnerships.

Hawaii provides same-sex couples with limited rights and benefits. New York recognizes marriages by same-sex couples validly entered into outside of New York. Legislatures in New Hampshire and New York are considering marriage legislation that would permit same-sex couples to marry in those states, and the D.C. Council has passed legislation that would recognize marriages by same-sex couples legally entered into in other jurisdictions (that legislation is going through a Congressional review period).

IMPORTANT BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

For an electronic map showing where marriage equality stands in the states, please visit: www.HRC.org/State_Laws.

For a summary of the history of the case and for a comprehensive listing of HRC’s work in California on Proposition 8, please visit:www.HRC.org/California.

A breakdown of the ruling and interpretation by the HRC legal team will be available shortly on HRCBackStory.org: http://www.hrcbackstory.org/2009/05/prop-8-decision-analysisprop-8-decision-analysis/

Human Rights Campaign Announces Partnership with California Faith for Equality

The following is a press release from the Human Rights Campaign:

New comprehensive effort to broaden, diversify, and deepen religious support for marriage equality

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, announced today a new strategic partnership with California Faith for Equality (CFE), a statewide group established to educate, support and mobilize California's faith communities on LGBT equality.

The partnership joins CFE and its 6,000 supporting faith leaders with both HRC's Religion and Faith Program expertise as well as support from the National Field Department to broaden, diversify and deepen religious support for marriage equality in California. The partnership comes on the eve of an expected decision by the California Supreme Court on Proposition 8 which stripped away the right of same-sex couples to marry.

“This is a strategic partnership to not only expand and diversify CFE's impressive statewide work, but to ensure that California voters know that many people of faith support same-sex marriage," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Religion was too often used as a weapon against us in California, and we know whatever the court's decision, this is critical work in achieving full equality."

The Human Rights Campaign will lend significant resources both on-the-ground and collaboratively to California Faith for Equality. Religion and Faith Director Harry Knox and HRC field staff will assist CFE build capacity for a sustained, locally-driven public education campaign led by California clergy and supported by their congregants.

“We must harness this opportunity and help local clergy build advocacy for marriage equality into their routine work in congregations and train participants to utilize low-cost, high-impact public education that extends their justice ministries,” said Harry Knox, Director of the Human Rights Campaign’s Religion and Faith Program.

“At the core of many people's objection to same-sex marriage is religion,” said Rev. Roland Stringfellow, Bay Area Coalition of Welcoming Congregations. “This collaboration facilitates open and constructive dialogs within faith communities about the inherent worth and dignity of all of God's creation and the shame that is created when people are forced to live without integrity when their lives and loves are not valued.”

“The partnership between the Human Rights Campaign and California Faith for Equality is good news to all who are committed to equality,” said Rev. Abel Lopez, All Saints Episcopal Church, Pasadena CA. “I look forward to the work we will do together as we combine our energies to reach across differences toward the goal of liberty and justice for all.”

The elements of the partnership include:

--Develop a religious declaration of support for marriage equality that multiple faith leaders can endorse, and use it as a coalition-building tool to attract and build CFE's membership and voice.

--Prioritize those counties where Prop 8 passed or failed by seven percent or less, and build new coalitions while strengthening existing ones.

--Train clergy and lay leaders how to build advocacy for LGBT equality into their routine work with their congregations. Additionally, create a specific tool kit to help people of faith build support beyond their places of worship, and into their families and neighborhoods.

--Identify key religious spokespeople relevant to a local community and give visibility to those clergy and their congregations endorsing marriage equality.

--Create culturally-sensitive as well as denomination-specific material to help religious leaders and people of faith to talk about why supporting marriage equality is consistent with the tenets of their faith. This includes identifying and building coalitions and ties with faith communities of color.

--Work with progressive communities of faith to become volunteers and leaders if a marriage campaign is launched. HRC and CFE believe that communities of faith have much to offer in expanding that statewide, volunteer network.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

The mission for California Faith and Equality is to educate, support and mobilize California's faith communities to promote equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and to safeguard religious freedom.

HRC Raises Maine Flag

On May 6th Maine became the 5th state to recognize same-sex marriage. This was done by the legislature with the Governor's support - the first state to accomplish this. Here is the video of the flag flying on top of the Human Rights Campaign Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

King Opens His Mouth Again

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Congressman Steve King (R-IA) had more to say this past week when he spoke at the debate for the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

During the debate Rep. King tried again to claim that the Hate Crimes bill really should be called a "Thought Crimes" bill.

He tried to show that it is hard to define someone's sexual orientation because there is a different definition in many reference books.

See the video below for how he tries to confuse members of the House:



He continues by trying to compare what this law is to the George Orwell book "1984" and that if this law is passed we will create "thought police." I find this very interesting since things in this country got a little too close to the book during the Bush-Cheney era. Watch the Congressman here



But one of his "best" moments this week was when he called the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus "separatists" groups.



The term separatists seems to be used here in a derogatory manner such as Anti-American. King's point is that we need to accept each other and embrace our differences. This is very interesting since he has made clear he is unwilling to treat everyone the same, especially when it comes to gay marriage.

Congressman King, I would love to see you start to listen to your own words and treat everyone with respect and embrace each individual for who they are, not who you think they should be or how they should act.

Congressman King, I hope you are ready for the 2010 elections. The Kutcher campaign will be getting a lot of backing - the gays, the african-americans, the hispanics, the muslims...I could go on because there are so many groups you have not been able to embrace and accept.

Ashton Kutcher 2010 - Let the Campaign Begin

 

YOU PICK THE CAMPAIGN SLOGAN

If you listened to Episode 5 of my podcast then you understand why I am starting a campaign to get Ashton Kutcher to head home to Iowa and run for Congress. I'm sure you all are more creative than I am and will be able to come up with something better than "Kutcher '10 - Moving Iowa Forward." So come on and play

Name That Campaign
 

Now this is not random. I want him to run specifically against Republican Representative Steve King. If you need some creative fire as to why this is so important I encourage you to listen to the final segment of the podcast for more details but in case you can't let me give you some insight on Rep. King.

• Official Statement on the marriage decision shows King is worried about Iowa becoming a "gay mecca." 

“Iowa law says that marriage is between one man and one woman, yet activist judges molded Iowa’s Constitution to achieve their personal political ends. Ultimately, the people of Iowa should decide whether or not Iowa should allow same-sex marriage, not activist judges handing down extra-constitutional rulings.

“I believe the majority of Iowans are committed to marriage between one man and one woman, one of the essential building blocks of civilization. I will continue to work with the Iowa legislature to pass a Marriage Amendment to the Iowa Constitution, clarifying that marriage is between one man and one woman. Along with a constitutional amendment, the legislature must also enact marriage license residency requirements so that Iowa does not become the same-sex marriage Mecca for America.”

• While speaking at an anti-abortion event King stated that he would like to see people defy the court.
  

“This decision by the [Iowa] Supreme Court puts us in a position where we can either defy the court — which I would prefer to do, but I don’t see the appetite out there to do that,” the congressman said. “If it were up to me I’d say, ‘You made this decision, so now you enforce it because you stepped outside your bounds.’ But the logical approach to this — to get something that we can do —  I think is to pass a constitutional amendment to correct the court.”

• King continues to show his fear of LGBT people and how people will come to the new gay mecca, Iowa, get married and then go back home and spread...well I don't really know but maybe you can understand his fear.

“We have no residency requirement in Iowa law, which means that people can come from all over this country — a man and a man, a woman and a woman — it could be, I suppose, a father and a son or a mother and a daughter,” he said. “They can come to this state and get married and then go back to the state where they reside. And then what they will do — and this will be a national effort — is file suit in their own state. They will press those states to recognize Iowa’s marriage law. If that happens, in each of these courts, it puts a lot of pressure on and breaks down the defense of marriage that has been created by most of the states.
“We have a real problem here in Iowa, and we’ve become the embarrassment of the nation. But we don’t need to proliferate that embarrassment to the rest of the country. We can at least save the rest of the country from the mistake made by the Supreme Court justices here in Iowa.”

• King has been working with Maggie Gallagher, president of National Organization for Marriage (NOM) to make calls to Iowa citizens encouraging them to call their representative and ask them to get an anti-gay marriage amendment passed. NOM is the organization that is spreading fear about gay marriage in the video "The Gathering Storm." These calls are a one way street since they first ask do you support the decision. Anyone that says yes is hung up on. Apparently King is not interested in seeing what his constituents really think.

• Some other great quotes to show how Rep. King thinks are below and are from Think Progress

King compared gay people to unicorns and leprechauns. "Unicorns, leprechauns, gay marriages in Iowa -- these are all things you will never find because they just don’t exist."

King sought to uphold anti-gay employment discrimination. "The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) would force employers to hire homosexual employees."

King refused to say 'Happy Ramadan.' In 2007, King refused to vote for a harmless resolution recognizing the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

King insisted homosexuality was just a "behavior." Declaring that "homosexual marriage is not a civil right," King said sexual orientation "is a self-identified behavior, not an immutable characteristic."

Unfortunately King seems more concerned about the culture wars than the main problems Iowa, and the rest of the country are facing. This is of course the economy. According to a study by The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law,

Our analysis projects that giving equal marriage rights to same-sex couples will have a positive impact on the state budget of approximately $5.3 million per year and a revenue gain to state businesses of over $53 million per year during the first three years that marriage is extended to same-sex couples. The analysis shows that same-sex marriage is not just good for same-sex couples, but good for the state budget and economy, too.

Huh, I could see why that would cause some fear because we would be giving the elected officials more money to spend ... oh wait that's probably not why he's scared. Now I understand that some of that money is because the gays will be flocking to the new mecca and spending their money...oh wait that's probably not it either.

Ok so I think you all understand why Rep. King needs to go. Now why would I pick Ashton Kutcher? Well it would be an extremely tough district for a Democrat to win. (Yes I am assuming he Kutcher would run as a Democrat). But I think he could put up a huge fight. Look at the money he could raise on social media alone just by asking for $5. Plus, what house with a teenage girl (or gay man) wouldn't want Ashton Kutcher on their lawn - in sign form of course.

Not to mention the guy is smart and has been talking politics quite a bit lately. He spoke out against Prop 8 and even made a point to talk about how he couldn't believe this was even an issue and screamed of a blatant separation of church and state problem. Also, I think he isn't so far to the left that he could speak to both sides. Last November on "Real Time With Bill Maher", Kutcher spoke about where he is politically,

"I would say that I'm a fiscally conservative individual, in general, and probably very socially liberal, but there really isn't a party that exists for that. So I'm a little bit in between. I wasn't that far away from looking at John McCain as a viable candidate for myself, because I sit somewhere in the middle. But, as soon as a Sarah Palin comes onto a ticket, it turns me away so feverishly."

So come on everyone let's get this ball rolling and Name That Campaign! I know you all have some good ideas on this so leave them in the comment section so we can get King out of Congress.

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• So far, so good on first day for marriage equality in Iowa (mydd.com)
• Judge Won't Marry Gays in Iowa on Monday (lezgetreal.com)

HRC Releases New Welcoming Schools Guide To Address Name Calling and Bullying Among Younger Students

With two 11 year old boys committing suicide in recent weeks for being bullied by being called gay I can't think of a more important thing for schools to be looking into. A new program from the Human Rights Campaign is rolling out and will hopefully help schools deal with the problem of bullying that is facing kids in schools across the country.

I spoke with Ellen Kahn, the Director of the Family Project at HRC about this program. Our interview will be featured in Episode 5 of the Thoughts From A Lezzymom Podcast which will be out April 24th.

Here is the press release from the Human Rights Campaign:

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, today announced the release of “An Introduction to Welcoming Schools,” a guide aimed at equipping school administrators, classroom teachers, and all other school personnel with knowledge and skills to address bias-based bullying, and to create environments where all students feel safe and affirmed. The announcement comes as the nation grapples with the suicides of two 11-year-old children, both of whom were frequent targets of anti-gay bullying.

“It is absolutely devastating that two children took their own lives in response to chronic bullying at school,” said Human Rights Campaign Foundation Family Project Director Ellen Kahn. “These tragedies point to an epidemic of bullying and name-calling among younger students, as well as a lack of knowledge or responsiveness on the part of school leaders to address these behaviors head on. ‘Welcoming Schools’ will help schools reduce those tensions and teach children to respect differences and not belittle them.”

The subject of school bullying and teasing—particularly harassment that is homophobic in nature—has emerged as a major issue in the wake of the suicides of the two 11-year-olds this month.

On April 6th, Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover of Springfield, Mass., hanged himself after a period of prolonged school bullying. Walker-Hoover’s mother says she complained to school leaders multiple times about the abuse her son suffered but was met with inadequate responses. Ten days later, Jaheem Herrera of DeKalb County, Ga., hanged himself. Herrera’s mother says her son was often bullied by other children at Dunaire Elementary School and claims the school administration ignored her complaints about it.

“We know that in these tragedies both boys routinely heard the words ‘gay’ and ‘fag,’ and were harassed in part because they were not perceived as “masculine” enough. We also know that school personnel do not always know how to respond to these kinds of behaviors. ‘Welcoming Schools’ can deliver real results in reducing this type of bullying,” continued Kahn.

“As a mother and teacher, I know some students wake up every morning and dread going to school because they don’t fit the gender norm,” Graciela Slesaransky-Poe, Ph.D., a member of the Welcoming Schools Advisory Board. “They’re harassed because somehow they’re different. What’s so powerful about Welcoming Schools is it helps students and educators alike understand that there are many different ways of being a boy or a girl.”

Originally planned for release later this spring, the ‘Welcoming Schools’ guide is designed for use in elementary schools to help create an inclusive approach to family diversity, name-calling and gender stereotyping. It also offers specific guidance on addressing anti-gay and gender-based name-calling.

HRC is in the second year of a three-year pilot of Welcoming Schools. Preliminary results show that educators want more training to address LGBT issues, as well as other diversity issues, in their schools and that with administrative support, professional development, and community involvement, educators want to tackle these issues with students.

The central goal of Welcoming Schools is to create a respectful learning environment for all students. The nation’s elementary school communities are comprised of diverse children and families, including multiethnic families, single parents, adoptive parents, gay and lesbian parents, immigrants, foster parents, and families headed by grandparents. The Welcoming Schools guide gives educators the tools to open dialogue about all kinds of diversity with students and families. By engaging the entire community, Welcoming Schools offers a comprehensive approach to improving the school climate.

“Educators have an important role in keeping students safe and creating an environment that provides for maximizing every student’s potential for academic success. Welcoming Schools is a valuable resource that can help lay the foundation for addressing these issues in elementary schools,” said Jerald L. Newberry, executive director of the National Education Association Health Information Network.

“An Introduction to Welcoming Schools” can be viewed online at www.welcomingschools.org.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

Day of Silence - Stop the Bullying

Bullying is a huge problem in America today. One of the most recent stories is of 11 year old Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover. He was bullied daily which included being called gay and being told he acted like a girl. Carl ended up taking his life by hanging himself with an extension cord.

Carl would have turned 12 today which just so happens to be the annual Day of Silence held by the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN). The Day of Silence is a student-led national event that brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. Students from middle school to college take some form of a vow of silence in an effort to encourage schools and classmates to address the problem of anti-LGBT behavior. The event is designed to illustrate the silencing effect of this bullying and harassment on LGBT students and those perceived to be LGBT.

Here is a video with Lance Bass talking about the Day of Silence



The interesting thing about bullies are they function on fear and thinking the victim will remain quiet. Most of what is talked about is the bullying done by children. However, since the election and all the coverage of Prop 8 interesting things have happened.

Instead of the gays being silent we have taken to the street. We have said, "Enough!" We have begun to demand our equality. Interestingly enough in the wake of the huge loss in California, gay marriage has seen huge wins in the last month alone. This includes Vermont becoming the first state to legalize marriage through the legislature and not by a court decision.

So what does this do to the bully? Just when the bully thinks his victim is beaten down so much he sees that maybe there is some strength left. So he does this....

James Dobson, former leader of Focus on the Family, starts a website to counter the Day of Silence. The site is called True Tolerance. The site encourages parents to fight the schools and try to shut down the events. The site is pure bullying. Filled with lies and playing on fear to motivate others to join in the bullying.

Then there is this video.



And of course the video by the queen of bullying, Maggie Gallager - President of the National Organization for Marriage.




Just looking at the website by Dobson and these videos it becomes clear to me why we have such a bullying problem in our schools. If these are the examples kids are getting then we have a very long road ahead of us to try and fix the bullying problem in America.

Before the 2008 Day of Silence Lawrence King, a 15 year old, was shot and killed by a classmate because he was gay. This year Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover killed himself for being called gay. Clearly the grownups have not figured out that their actions and words have consequences.

The children are watching. Please, adults - Maggie and James that means you, stop the bullying. It really is hurting our families and our children.

Human Rights Campaign Applauds Washington State Legislature for Passing Domestic Partnership Expansion Bill

Image by PDX Pixels via Flickr

The following is a Press Release from the Human Rights Campaign:

Bill adds hundreds of rights and responsibilities to current law

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, today praised the Washington State House of Representatives for passing the Domestic Partnership Expansion bill on a 62-35 vote. This follows a positive vote of 30-18 in the state Senate several weeks ago. The bill will provide registered domestic partners with access to the rights and responsibilities granted to spouses under state law.

“We applaud the Washington state legislature for providing these important protections under Washington state law to committed lesbian and gay couples and we thank Senators Ed Murray and Joe McDermott and Representatives Jamie Pedersen, Dave Upthegrove, Jim Moeller and Marko Liias, as well as Equal Rights Washington for their leadership on this civil rights issue,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “This is another important step toward full equality, and it will provide tangible, much needed legal protections for families in Washington.”

The bill now heads to the desk of Governor Christine Gregoire for signing. In 2007, Governor Gregoire signed the first Domestic Partner bill into law, creating a domestic partner registry and providing some rights to lesbian and gay couples and their families. In 2008, the Governor signed legislation providing domestic partners with 160 of the more than 400 rights and responsibilities afforded to married couples. This year’s Domestic Partnership Expansion bill grants approximately 250 additional rights and responsibilities to registered domestic partners.

The Human Rights Campaign worked directly with Equal Rights Washington to mobilize thousands of supporters to lobby their legislators in Olympia, send over 35,000 emails and make thousands of phone calls to legislators.

In addition to Washington, eleven states plus Washington, D.C. have laws providing at least some form of state-level relationship recognition for gay and lesbian couples. Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa (as of April 27, 2009), and Vermont (as of September 1, 2009) recognize marriage for gay and lesbian couples under state law. Four states—California, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon—plus Washington, D.C. provide gay and lesbian couples with access to the state level benefits and responsibilities of marriage, through either civil unions or domestic partnerships.

Maine and Hawaii provide gay and lesbian couples with limited rights and benefits. New York recognizes marriages by gay and lesbian couples validly entered into outside of New York.

Lesbian and gay couples do not receive federal rights and benefits in any state. To learn more about state by state legislation visit: www.hrc.org/state_laws.


The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

Human Rights Campaign to Host National Web Chat on LGBT Financial Issues in Advance of Tax Day

Experts to field questions from the LGBT community on variety of financial, tax and estate planning issues

WASHINGTON –In advance of April 15 – “Tax Day” – the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, will host a national web chat on a variety of financial issues currently facing members of the LGBT community.  During the discussion, HRC and several financial experts will highlight the unique legal inequalities and hurdles facing the LGBT community with regard to financial, tax and estate planning issues.  Federal law treats same-sex couples as strangers, thereby denying them the 1,138 federal rights, benefits and protections available to different-sex married couples. Questions may be submitted in advance by emailing: webchat@hrc.org.

                                                                        

WHAT:  National web chat hosted by Human Rights Campaign

WHO:  Financial planner Joe Kapp, Family and Estate Attorney Kirstin Gulling, and HRC Legal Director Lara Schwartz

WHEN:  TODAY, Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. EST

HOW:  To participate, visit the following link: www.hrc.org/taxchat

For additional online resourcesand daily updates visit the HRC blog, www.HRCBackStory.org.  

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.